Puberty
by Alu In Chains
Summary: Freshman year couldn't get any more awkward. Mina's struggling to balance between being a good student by day and The Count's best friend by night. But when strange things begin happening in the swamp, and Vlad's new responsibilities to help put a stop to it leave little time for them to spend together, their friendship is put under heavy stress. Can Mina do anything to help?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I started writing this in 2010...actually what I have so far has been spread out since then. I didn't change too much, just touched it up here and there. Hope you enjoy!**

 **I do not own MaTC.**

* * *

So it's like this… her family was freaking nuts.

Her knuckles were beginning to turn bone white when she clenched her hand into a fist around her last pencil. She's tried everything; from shoving ear plugs into her ears to blasting her stereo. And nothing, absolutely nothing could drown out the noise her older sister was making downstairs. It was a loud, very angry shriek that didn't stop for a minute, and they would break down into loud heart-breaking sobs.

And it was all over some _goofy_ boy!

Mina growled, trying in vain to solve the math problem on notebook paper before her. She looked up at her clock, and realized that it had been three hours.

Three _freaking_ hours since Lucy had burst through the front door begging for her old room back. And not once had she taken a breath to calm down.

Her father, whom had spent these hours trying to soothe his daughter, was probably ready to kill himself. Mina sighed, and briefly wondered if he'd ever have the strength left to even help her move out.

Such an occasion was only five years away, after all.

Another loud screech, a crash, and more worthless sobbing as Lucy's warped words sounded through the house.

"Lucy! Lucy, calm down!" her father's voice was faintly heard. And the girl just kept screaming.

It was going to drive Mina insane.

Her back was starting to hurt from sitting up on her bed, hunched over her notebook which rested on top of a thick, hard back algebra book. She fell backwards onto her mattress, arms spread out wide, staring up at the ceiling. She was tired, exhausted from trying to focus on one thing. Getting her homework done just wasn't going to happen; Lucy had made that very clear. So what was she to do now? Sit on her bed and wait three more hours for the sun to go down?

She couldn't take this much longer.

Mina forced herself to sit back up, and buried her face in her hands. The comfort of her fingers distracted her for a moment, and she rubbed across her eyes as if to wipe them, and then rubbed her temples. Her sister's sobbing grew louder, and louder.

And for a minute, Mina thought that she had lost it. That the growing noise was just her sanity walking out the door.

 _Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump._

Lucy was running up the stairs, her screams just on the other side of the door. She ran down the hall, and stopped for a brief moment.

 _Slam!_

The door was slammed shut to her sister's room, which had been vacant for only a year.

And then it was silent.

Oh so silent.

It made Mina smile.

Sweet, sweet silence.

Now was the time she should probably attempt to finish her homework, but she was no longer in the mood. Mina had been put out now, frowning at the mirror across her room. Her reflection stared back at her, a grimace on the doppelganger's face. She looked tired, wary, uncombed. It wasn't a great feeling. And she wasn't really tired, just stressed.

Her eyes were sore from burning holes into her homework for the past three hours, her feeble attempts to push past Lucy's insanity only strengthening her frustration. Why would she be so goofy over some boy?! Hell, Mina was just under Lucy's age when she first _met_ Bobby, and she still hasn't even found herself going head over heels for a boy.

Lucy was now twenty-three-years-old, and _was_ engaged to the very football player of her dreams. And Mina told her that moving in with him the second she turned eighteen would only prove to everyone else that the blonde was a fool.

Guess who was right?

Mina was eleven when she made that prediction.

She wanted to knock on Lucy's door and say, ' _Told ya so_!'

But her father would never allow such childish behavior, and the little red head knew that.

Lucy started crying again from her room, though these new screams were muffled, like she was screaming into something. God, she threw such _tantrums_ that it wasn't even funny! Mina's face grew disgusted -as she'd seen in the mirror- when she heard such animalistic noises emerging from down the hall. She was never like this, not even when she didn't get the toy she wanted at Wal-Mart. It was ridiculous, no wonder he kicked her out!

More footsteps up the stairs. Only person left to possibly be coming up the steps was her father.

"Mina?" he drawled sleepily, knocking twice and then entering anyway, not giving her a second to collect herself. His daughter straightened her posture and smiled sweetly at him. A nice, apologetic smile, like she were sorry for her sister's behavior. And she was… kinda… the only thing she wasn't sorry for was her point being finally made. Lucy was a freaking _brat_ , and now her father could finally see it.

His graying hair was a matted mess on his head, glasses sliding down close to the tip of his nose, and sort of crooked too. He was holding his pipe lazily up to his mouth. God, she loved the smell of that thing…

He was in his slippers, pajama pants, and a robe wrapped around his torso. He squinted at her, like he couldn't see straight at all, and just sighed.

"Daddy, are you okay?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he bit down on the pipe to hold it in place, took off his glasses, and rubbed the lenses with the fabric of his robe. Without looking up at her he said through the pipe, "I think you should go to violin lessons early tonight. Dinner should be here when you get home."

Mina nodded, and smiled.

Thank. God.

She was free to leave her personal hell on Earth, which by definition was just basically within one-hundred feet of her sister.

"I'll eat at Count's," Mina assured him, "He keeps snacks there in case I get hungry during the lessons."

He nodded, and turned away without another word, leaving Mina there to just gather up her things and leave. Which she didn't mind, because she knew very well he was just tired.

Mina shoved all of her books into her backpack, and slipped on her sneakers. Taking another look in the mirror, she frowned at the mess her hair had become while in its ponytail, and took it out. The long red strands that fell to the middle of her back curved upwards at the ends, a small trait every girl in her family has ever had. She sort of liked it for formal occasions, but otherwise she just liked to wear it up, and out of the way.

She re-brushed it, pulled it back, left her bangs down like she did nowadays, and slipped the band around her hair several times until it was tight enough to hold. After that, she threw on her rain coat, and slipped her backpack onto her shoulder.

Mina was ready to go within three minutes.

Skipping down the stairs, Mina hollered her goodbyes, which were normally something like, _"I'll be back around midnight!",_ and went to the garage to find her bike.

* * *

The best thing about violin lessons, was that they really weren't violin lessons. Mina didn't know crap about a violin, not even how to hold one properly.

She skid to a stop just before the ancient wooden door, and looked up at the centuries-old medieval castle, which towered pretty damn high above her head. This was the one place where the sun's rays weren't welcome, and where dark, eerie clouds circulated in the atmosphere. The one thing this peppy little town thought of as an eyesore… and it was actually her best friend's home.

To know how to play the violin would be nice, so that she wouldn't have to make up constant excuses to her family about why she never had any recitals. But, she'd much rather spend time with the one person who knew her just as well as the back of his claw. Not even her father knew her so well, and she supposed maybe that was her fault for locking herself up until sundown. She couldn't help it, it had become such a habit.

Mina shoved her shoulder into the door and pushed as hard as she could to open it. She groaned through tightly clenched teeth, like it would help her at all. When the door gave in, and was open enough for her to just walk through, she peered into the dark foyer. The dim light from outside was a bright streak across the floor. It was so dark, but it won't take long for her eyes to adjust.

"Hello?" she called, entering the dark room. No one answered. Mina huffed, and attempted to blow her bangs out of her face. Said bangs just limply fell over her eyes again, making her frown in frustration. She was so exhausted from opening the door, she didn't think she could even close it. But, she couldn't just leave it open either. Light wasn't really welcome here.

So she stepped in and around the door, pushing her back against it. With a little bit more effort than it took to open the damn thing, it eventually closed. Mina was now exhausted, gasping for breath. "Sheesh," she thought out loud, leaning off the door.

"Igor!" she shouted. Mina was greeted with her own echo, bouncing off stone walls and running down corridors. She slipped off her raincoat and tossed it on the floor. She didn't even remember _why_ she brought it anyway. It wasn't raining… or even cloudy. It was just a little nippy… sort of.

Still no reply. The closest thing to it was once more, just her echo. She frowned, chewing on her lip a little. Someone _had_ to have been here. Maybe Igor was just ignoring her, he often did any other time. So Mina thought back on all the times she had shown up just minutes before the sun actually set. Where was Igor at every time the sun was falling down?

And then there was her answer.

He was always in the kitchen; cooking something either ghoulish or delicious. Mina licked her lips at the thought, because he always made the best deserts. Delicious, chocolaty meals made mainly for monsters, but humans could stomach them. Especially her.

Her stomach twisted, letting out a low growl. She didn't even realize that she was hungry until she thought of the hunchback's delicious cooking. Even if he wasn't fond of her, she did try her best to make him consider her at the least. He never did though. Igor had always resented her no matter what. Though he did have his moments where they got a long quite well. Maybe today was one of those days, and if she was good, he'd bake her something sweet.

Excited about the idea, Mina took off in a power walk for the kitchen, just across the foyer. There was a faint light coming from the room that said someone was there.

And of course, there the hunchback was, standing at the stove with a pair of radio headphones on his head, humming away to whatever was playing through the small speakers. Mina snuck up on him, well aware he had no clue she was even there. Smiling maliciously, the playful teen closed in on her prey, hands shaped into claws. She stood in an offensive position she had been observing for years, and was finally putting it to the test.

Slowly, carefully, she tried not to make much noise, even though he clearly couldn't even hear her struggling with the door at all, and grinned to herself.

This was going to be good.

If only _he_ were here to see it.

Focusing on her stance and positioning as she crept up on the oblivious Igor, Mina didn't see the cloud of smoke that trailed after her into the kitchen, stopping shortly behind her. A small mist, that stayed low to the ground, began to shape and change form. The cloud rose and stretched to be taller than the girl herself, standing just behind her. And eventually, it began to solidify into a smirking vampire, adjusting his cape so it wasn't in his way. He watched her, and took in how she was standing.

Mina had no clue he was there, either. And so he smiled, showing every fang he had, and waited.

She was going to 'shank' his servant.

But just as Mina decided to strike, aiming for the waist of the little man, she stopped short.

Something sharp had shanked _her_ while she was trying to shank _Igor_. She didn't even have time to think who could have ruined her prank. Mina just jumped, and screamed, which made Igor jump and spin around, knocking over pot full of Chicken Blood Soup.

Mina did the same, turning around to find her best friend about ready to piss himself laughing. She felt her teeth grind in frustration, and then, not able to help herself, started laughing too.

Igor was on the verge of having a heart attack. He was leaning against the stove, gripping his chest, and heaving for breath. "That is so not funny!" The hunchback gasped, slowly catching his breath.

The Count, of course, didn't need to breathe. So when he should have stopped laughing, he didn't, and was currently on his knees holding his sides.

Mina controlled herself after a few cackles, and looked at the mess before giggling again. "You're cleaning that up!" she scolded the laughing vampire between giggles. Vlad stopped short and looked at her, then the mess.

"Igor can get it; it's his job," he shrugged. Mina frowned, turned to the scared-to-death hunchback, and then back to her friend. "I don't think so. Here, we'll both clean it. Igor should probably… take a break," she said, considering Igor once more. When she turned back to the vampire, he was frowning up at her. She held his gaze for a minute, in attempt to show her defiance, even though there was no point in arguing with the man. He'd spent nearly seven hundred years getting his way with the snap of his fingers. And ever since he'd met her, Mina was something he had to _work_ with, rather than demand her compliance.

Both then turned to Igor as he jumped again at the sound of three rather hard knocks on the door. He was still shaken, and even more so now that they had company _other_ than Mina. The girl then turned her head sharply towards the doorway to the foyer, and through it, stared at the front door. The hard pounds seemed to shake it, and chip off some wood. That normally happened when Frankenstein or his wife came over.

Vlad stood up, with the help of Mina of course, and dusted himself off while giving his servant a rather impatient look. "I am guessing you forgot to tell me tonight was Card Night?" the vampire asked with a fanged frown.

But the hunch back shook his head, biting his lower lip. "No, Master," he breathed nervously, "Tonight isn't Card Night. That's next week!"

The vampire then turned towards the door, giving a noncommittal sound from the back of his throat. Whoever it was outside knocked on the door again, and this time Mina could _see_ the old wood trying not to break in half from the pressure. "I'd better let him in," she said, skipping to the door. Vlad followed silently, pondering why anyone would come to visit him without reason.

When Mina reached the door, The Count had to do everything he could not to laugh at the girl. She had both hands clutching the knob, pulling with all her might, and one foot propped up against the wall for support. And the door was barely budging, if at all. He wasn't making fun of her, really. But it was so _fascinating_ how mortals could appear so weak, and be much more than that at the same time. And watching Mina physically struggle to open that door was a sight to see. As the girl herself would say, _It was just plain funny_.

Though, they had someone waiting on the other side of that door, and he didn't want to wait another hundred years for it to open. So, he simply brushed her small frame to the side, as gently as he could without knocking her over, and pulled the door open with ease. The child, red-faced and panting, glared at her immortal friend. He just smiled back at her, which caused her to roll her eyes and face their guest.

"Ah! What a pleasure it is to be receiving a visit from you three. Velcome!" Vlad smiled a welcoming smiled. Mina did her best to do the same thing, but was cut off after a short second by a bone-crushing hug.

Mrs. Frankenstein had wrapped her arms around the small girl in a comforting hug. "Mina!" the woman cried, "I'm so glad to see you! I figured since the rest of the werewolves were going star-crazy, you'd be too! How have you been?!" she exclaimed. Mina, barely able to breathe while being constricted, offered only smiles before catching on what had happened.

The Count, on the other hand, closed the big wooden door with one finger -only because it peeved Mina when he could and she couldn't- and greeted the other two. The large frame of Frankenstein stood behind a medium built fish-like creature. "Frank and Monster, how are you two? I thought Card Night was next veek!" the friendly vampire exclaimed.

While the girls gossiped about what's been going on in the swamps, the other two just exchanged glances, before looking at Mina, and then back at their vampire friend. "There's a meeting tonight being held at the court house. The whole tribunal is there, along with a bunch of other ghouls," the Monster from The Black Lagoon said. Vlad was sincerely confused. "Vhat?" the vampire asked, cocking his head. Mina paused at the sound of the Tribunal. It wasn't a name that brought back any _great_ memories, but they'd surely been in enough trouble to know nearly every member in such a group.

"It's about the werewolves," Mrs. Frankenstein said, turning more towards Vlad than Mina now. "I wanted to see if Mina was all right."

Mina smiled. She and the older, undead woman have developed a sort of bond over the years. Every week the guys would come over for a few rounds of Poker supplied with chips and drinks and all kinds of tasty foods. And while Vlad was busy with that, Mina(always passed off as a werewolf) would be companied by Frankenstein's wife, whom everyone adored. Mina has made it a personal goal to look like her when she gets older.

That last part was something Vlad would never allow.

"Vhat's going on with the werewolves?" the vampire asked, giving Mina a worried glance, as if something actually might be wrong with her. Mina's brow furrowed, and turned to the two male monsters, who hadn't once cast her a single glance. And normally they were pretty friendly.

"They've been going nuts for the past few nights! The whole Tribunal has ordered every werewolf to be locked up! But since Mina has a life in the Mortal world, we can't keep her captivated like we could the others," The Monster From The Black Lagoon shrugged, giving a glance towards the young girl in question. Mina gulped.

She wasn't a real werewolf. But if they found that out, then she would never be allowed to see Vlad again. And that would just be the end of her. The Count was her best friend, her only true friend she'd ever really had and if they take that away from her…

Mina couldn't begin to think of what she'd do…

"We came here to let you know that you're being summoned to the meeting," Mrs. Frankenstein smiled, leaning into her husband. The bigger, beefier monster reluctantly wrapped a protective arm around the woman's small frame, and Mina watched with admiration. She even let out a muffled ' _Aww_ ' as she watched. Monster didn't do much other than just silently continue his conversation with Vlad, whom listened intently and nodded to whatever he had to say.

"So are we going to the court house?" Mina asked. Vlad looked up at her sharply, and was by her side within seconds. "No, Mina," he said slowly, his voice very low. The sound of it made her heart skip a beat. Not out of flattery, but because it was the very tone of voice he used when he hypnotized… well… _food,_ and the thought of him using that tone on her made her shiver. Mina has only been hypnotized by Vlad once, and he'd made it a point never to do it again. He didn't want to force her to do things, and she very well knew that fact.

But the sound of such a voice just shook her a little, in a very slow and creepy way. Mina shook her head and snapped back to reality for a split second to realize Vlad had picked up her raincoat and was handing it to her. "I'll escort you home," he said, pulling her gently towards the door.

"Hey, wait a minute," Mina growled, putting her heel to the ground and stopping both of them completely. "Why can't I go with you to the meeting? They didn't say I couldn't go!" the girl whined, rather hurt that her friend was trying to get rid of her so soon. "Not to mention, I've only seen you for just five minutes! This high school thing is hard, you know, not being able to see you as much as I used to," she added, pulling away. The Count looked more annoyed than anything else, and rolled his eyes before grabbing her shoulders.

"Mina, please understand. You're a _werewolf_ ," he said the word slowly as if to hint something to her, "And if there's something wrong with _other_ werewolves then I don't vant you to catch vhatever might be going around."

She wrinkled her little nose like she always did when she was frustrated or angry, and just glared at him. "I don't seem to recall Werewolves being capable of getting sick. If something is upsetting them, then there's something _else_ that's wrong, and not them," Mina growled. "And by all means, Vlad, I'm perfectly capable of controlling myself."

"I'd prefer it if you went home, though," The Count frowned at her. Mina sighed, her expression growing more hurt. But there was no use arguing with the man. He _could_ hypnotize her if he had the mind to, so what would be the point? Defeated, the teen sighed and leaned into her friend, giving him a hug. "Fine," she sighed, pulling away.

"And like I said, I'll escort you home," Vlad assured her.

One of the three ghouls standing behind them cleared their throat. "We don't have time for that, Vlad," Monster said, rubbing the back of his neck and looking anywhere but at the now scowling vampire. "The meeting was short noticed and they're waiting for you."

"They can wait longer," Vlad growled. Mrs. Frankenstein shook her head, and to agree with the beautiful ghoul, Mina gave in her two cents. "You go ahead and go, Vlad, I'll be fine," Mina smiled and added, "No one is going to hurt me while you're gone, I promise."

The Count considered her for what seemed like minutes, but was merely seconds, and nodded. "Fine," he agreed, and turned to the other three. "Vhat are ve vaitng for?" he asked with a flash of fangs.

* * *

The thought of going into that god-forsaken house only made matters worse in the back of her mind. Truth was, Mina didn't like coming home when everyone was still awake, and since it had only been an hour since she left, there was a good chance that Lucy was still screaming about Bobby. Her father would be asking her why she came home from Violin lessons early, and Mina would also have to make up some big excuse why.

She didn't like to lie to her parent, though. Even when she was little, Mina had tried telling her father the truth once or twice but it never came out exactly… right. Vlad had always wanted to keep his identity secret, and Mina never understood why until she was old enough to comprehend the fact that her best friend wasn't something she could share. But she still didn't like the idea of fibbing to her _dad_ of all people. He was the only person who knew her at least _half_ as well as The Count, after all.

Mina didn't hop off her bike the second she reached her driveway. Instead, she stood there staring at the place she called 'home' and wondered why it didn't feel like such now that Lucy was back.

 _Maybe because she's a bitch?_ the little voice inside her head prompted. Mina couldn't agree more. And she certainly couldn't go home now. So instead of entering the garage and parking her bike, Mina steered the contraption the other way and headed for town.

It wouldn't hurt to ride around for a little while anyway.

Nearly every monster and ghoul in the swamps had been summoned to the court house. Vlad entered the large room behind Monster and Frank, Mrs. Frankenstein hanging from his arm as usual. The four of them were, of course, stared at by various creatures and animals alike. The monsters, and disfigured beings sat in the benches, some even in the Jury's. Cats of all shapes and sizes were scattered randomly. Some sitting in the laps of other monsters, others picking a spot on tables and the stands. Crows kept to themselves, perched on the railing on the balcony. It was then, Vlad realized, that all of the animals present were the ghouls that could shape shift, and that they had done so to make room for those who couldn't.

Doctor Freckle sat at the judge's podium, glaring at the four whom had entered the room. He propped his head up sleepily with a fist, blinking slowly as he took in the four creatures that had just walked in. "It's about damn time," the man cursed, slowly sitting up. "You three have taken forever to retrieve The Count. What took you so long?" Freckle asked.

"We had to send Mina home," Mrs. Frankenstein said.

And that was enough of an answer for Freckle, since he never really cared what went on in their afterlives. He raised his hand to silence Mrs. Frankenstein and the rest of the room, which obliged only to keep from angering the judge. "Give me a moment, I just woke up," Freckle muttered, resting his chin on the heel of his palm.

The four took their seats in the front row, which had been left empty for them. Mummy had saved them that spot, but didn't look too happy now that Mina's name had been mentioned. The mummified figure crossed his arms, leaning forward to peer around Monster and look straight at the vampire. "So," Mummy prompted, "How _is_ the little mutt?" he asked. Vlad's brow furrowed, giving the creature so much as an annoyed glance before focusing back on Judge Freckle, who was rubbing his temples now. "I still believe she is a _human_ ," Mummy muttered under his breath, retreating and sitting back.

This set the vampire off. Ever since she was seven, Mummy had tried to prove that the girl was a human. And each time proven wrong, he'd only make it a goal to get it right. And eventually, he might, because secrets can't be kept forever. But while she was still young, while they could pretend a little longer, The Count wouldn't mind playing her off as a werewolf a little longer. And Mina didn't mind either.

But Mummy's annoying attempts were starting to get to him. And when the Mummy threw in his two cents, even when they weren't asked for, it angered the vampire. Vlad turned quickly in his direction, flashing his fangs in an angry hiss.

"ENOUGH!" Freckle yelled, suddenly an ugly Troll hanging over the podium. When Vlad was silenced, staring back up at him with a surprised frown, he retreated, and was suddenly just an aggravated little man once more. "Now, it's about time we started," Freckle sighed, leaning back in his chair.

Every creature, ghoul, and animal leaned forward in their seats, eager to know what was happening to cause such a fuss. It was then Vlad realized that there really weren't any werewolves present in the room.

"Our werewolves have been going off the wall lately," Freckle sighed, picking at his fingernails like he really could care less. The creatures in the room began whispering to each other, gossiping stories about how the wolf-men have been growing insane. Freckle frowned a little, looking up at the rest of the room, which silenced under his gaze. When he was sure everyone had shut up, he leaned forward a little more, questioning everyone present. "Does anyone have any clue _why_?" he asked.

The room burst out into more hushed whispers, and eventually people started shouting out suggestions. Silly things, like the low imports of Dog Biscuits, the smell coming from the power plants. Someone even mentioned video games, which made Vlad turn around to try and look for such an idiot.

A small purr silenced the room.

Vlad turned back around to see which cat it was.

A small, fiery orange cat had leapt up on the judge's podium, sitting before Freckle with a lazy gaze. Its big violet eyes glaring at the judge as she opened her jaw a little, and let out a low growl. But not a threatening one, just as if the cat was trying to talk. Freckle looked at her, rolled his eyes, and made a hand gesture to shoo the cat away. "Go ahead, Mona," Freckle sighed. The Cat nodded, licked his jaws, and turned to the rest of the room. Everyone watched, wondering who the hell, or what, had just jumped onto Freckle's podium, and lived.

The Cat jumped off the podium, straight forward into the air, and shape shifted in mid-flight. What landed on the floor, with a rather loud _thud_ , was a young woman. The rest of the room didn't speak. Instead, monster's exchanged glances, as did the other animals in the room, then looked back at the girl. Her bright orange hair fell just a little past her waist, the long bangs falling over her shoulders. It was parted down the middle, and brushed behind her ears. She wore no hat, like a normal witch would have, but just a small, knee-high dress that was ripped at the bottom.

She wore an unfriendly expression, though. Violet eyes glaring at every form of undead in the room. "The wolves aren't going _mad_ ," she hissed in a low, menacing tone. No one even twitched under her harsh glare, which made Vlad want to shuffle nervously in his seat. She was attractive, yes, but fucking scary as all hell. The girl's gaze lifted a little, growing more serious than angry. She licked her lips slowly, thinking of how to put the next few words she had to say. "They're… scared. And trying to get away," she said again.

Freckle scoffed. "Mona, they nearly tore apart half of the swamp within this last week! You call that _scared_?!"

Mona turned around, hissing like a cat, then straitened her posture again. "Something is _coming_. And I know you all think lowly of the wolves but _one_ of them is a dear friend of mine," she said, turning back to the rest of the room now. "And he knows more about what's going on with himself than you do, you bunch of gossiping _yuppies_. If I knew any better I'd say you all are starting to take after the mortals."

Taken aback, the ghouls started to whisper amongst themselves angrily. Mona cast a glance in the direction of one of the more louder creatures, and smiled slowly. "Here's the deal," she said, walking in the monster's direction. He was sort of tall, wearing farmer's clothes, with a Jack-o-Lantern for a head. The pumpkin frowned as she closed the distance between them, cowering back a little.

Witches weren't normally scary but this one was especially mean. If knowing their magic well, they won't go down very easily. And they won't go down at all to a normal monster, either. "We can go out for a few nights, and try to find the creature that's traumatizing the werewolves," she said softly, in a hushed whisper that the whole room seemed to hear. "Or," Mona said, straightening her arm. A wand slowly appeared in her palm with a small, glow of silver; the point was aimed for the Jack-o-Lantern's head.

"Or?" the pumpkin stammered, leaning away from the small stick.

"Or, I'll turn you into the filthy _human_ you all portray."

The pumpkin gulped. "I…I think I like the first answer," he smiled, nodding vigorously. Mona's wand retreated, with a smug smile on her face, and looked around at the rest of the creatures. "Do we have a deal then?" she asked.

All the monsters agreed at once.

"All right. I want every single one of you -"

"You're bluffing."

Mrs. Frankenstein was heard gasping, and whispering harshly. "Vlad, what do you think you're doing?!"

"She can't turn us human, she doesn't have that kind of power!" Vlad whispered back, then turned to see that Mona was standing just inches from him now. "Don't. Please," Mona whispered, snarling. Vlad let out a soft hiss, trying hard not to bare his fangs.

"You don't have the power to turn anyone here into a mortal," he challenged. " _No one_ has _ever_ had such powers."

Freckle watched the two lazily, lifted the gavel slowly, about ready to slam it down on the podium. But the intensity of the conversation seemed a little interesting, and he sort of wanted to see how it would play out. So instead, he set the small hammer down, and tried to make it seem like he wasn't really listening.

"You want to test me?" Mona threatened, straightening her posture again. Vlad didn't move, just glaring up at her.

The cold expression she had been giving the room for the past while faded. Mona now frowned, showing a bit of vulnerability, before leaning down again, eye level with the sitting vampire, and said softly, "Vlad, what would you be doing if _Mina_ was locked down there? She's the only werewolf who isn't in captivity for the time being. Would you be trying to solve her problem, or let this monster pass through, and possibly ruin our way of life?"

Vlad's eyes widened. He hadn't really thought of it that way. And if this thing were to pass through, Mina was out there in the open for it. She _wasn't_ locked up like the others were. She lived a mortal life in the mortal world, where whatever this creature was could be lurking. He looked away, taking a deep breath.

"This is my only way to get their compliance," Mona continued, softly, "So please, don't make it more difficult than it has to be."

She lifted her gaze to the rest of the room, and backed away from Vlad personally, before shouting loud enough to catch their attention, "I want us to search the swamps at night, and find whatever could possibly be causing such an issue." Her angry sneer returned, as she paced back and forth before the room, explaining how and where to search the areas.

* * *

The moon was rather large; a giant crescent glowing bright enough to provide its own light. The sky was surprisingly clear, all the stars shining brighter than normal. It was a beautiful night spent on soft, green grass, laying on her raincoat and listening to her mp3 player. Mina sighed, resting her head on the backpack as if it were a pillow, and stared up at the heavens, pointing out constellations to herself and making up others. Finishing her math homework was easy, now that she had finally had some peace and quiet. She listened to the radio from the small mp3 in her hand, half paying attention to the song, and half worrying about Vlad.

What could the Tribunal want with her friend that didn't include her? They always went together, mostly because she was the reason _why_ they were in such trouble in the first place. She frowned now, staring at just one star like it held the secrets to everything she wanted to know. Eventually realizing that it was stupid to look at a _star_ for guidance. Mina cursed herself and sat up, pulling her ear buds out in one yank.

She grunted, and pulled out her cell phone to check the time.

It was midnight. She'd been in the park for maybe four hours now, lying next to the biggest oak tree the piece of property had to offer. It was on the edge of a large clearing, which was a perfect spot to be stargazing. Half of it was just a bunch of trees with a trail that led back to the park, and the other half trailed off into the woods, with thick forests to boot.

Mina was a little peeved that Vlad hadn't come to find her yet. Maybe she should just go home, eat dinner, and go to bed…

The thought of dinner made her stomach growl, and start daydreaming of Igor's ghoulish meals once more. And the thought of Igor's cooking reminded her of the spill they'd made hours ago, and left for him to clean up.

"Oh, crap!" Mina moaned, standing up and slinging her backpack over her shoulder. She should go grab him something, anything, to try to make up for it. She felt so bad… what would the hunchback like? There wasn't much that she could give the man that he would accept. Frantically, she tied her coat around her waist and pulled her bike off the ground, trying to mount it in record time.

Just as she was about to start pedaling her way towards town, Mina stopped short, looking slowly into the forests of trees at the edge of the clearing. A low rumble, like a growl, softly hummed through the air. Mina tilted her head a little to her left, looking where she thought the noise would be coming from.

A twig snapped to her right, surprising her. Mina lost her balance and leaned to her left, stumbling off and away from her bike. She hissed in pain, looking down at her shin. The pedal of the bike had scratched her as the contraption fell. The broken skin began to bleed, but not a lot; just barely, if at all.

 _K-K-K-Krrrack!_

This time it sounded like a large branch had snapped, once again grabbing Mina's attention. She looked back up at the source of the sound, still hidden in shadow. She could faintly see the thick outline of something huge stalking towards the edge of the clearing. Whatever it was, growled again, and stopped just before a few shrubs between it and the rest of the clearing. Its eyes reflected the dim light of the moon, about a good nine feet from the ground.

The creature huffed, blinking at her once. It actually looked confused, which only made Mina's curiosity grow a little more.

"Hello?" the girl asked, stepping over her bike and slowly, carefully crossing the distance between her and the creature still hiding in the woods. The glowing eyes blinked again. The head of the creature lowered once Mina was around ten feet within its range. She stopped and realized that this…whatever it was, probably wanted to be alone. But she was so curious to see what it was…

So she lowered herself to the ground, too, sitting on her knees and taking off her backpack. "I don't bite," she smiled. The figure blinked, and shuffled a little…if that's what it was doing. It was very hard to see; she couldn't tell at all whether it was nervous or preparing to attack. Mina bit her lip, certain herself it was probably a new resident to the swamps. And if that were the case then, she could at least be kind enough to introduce herself.

But this monster didn't seem to care much for what she had to say, however it did react to her actions. So maybe a peace offering…

Mina snapped her fingers at the thought. She had just the thing in her backpack too! She pulled her backpack to her side, and opened one of the side pockets. The creature's eyes widened, hunching forward with anticipation as to see what the girl was doing. When Mina's hand came out of the bag with a Snickers bar, it was once again curious.

"Here," the girl smiled, holding it out at arms length. The eyes didn't blink, but just stared at the piece of candy, like it had not a clue what it was. Mina's smile fell a little, and pulled the candy bar back. "It's chocolate," she said, "A lot of monsters in the swamps like it, especially around Halloween. You can have this piece, I wasn't going to eat it any time soon anyway," she smiled, holding it out again.

She could hear the short intake of breath repeatedly when the monster was sniffing the air, and slowly crept forward out of the trees' shadows. Mina gasped when she realized that what she was looking at was a really, _really_ big dog. Or…a wolf?

"Oh wow," she murmured, feeling her arm go slack by her side. She was staring up at the nine-foot-tall canine, and it wasn't just standing on its hind legs. Just a normal wolf on all fours, timidly crossed the distance between them, and eventually lowered its large head to sniff the candy bar in her hand. It's eyes stayed locked on hers as it sniffed the candy bar, then retreated growling. Mina flinched, closing one eye and keeping the other open, wondering when would be the right time to run. Maybe this _wasn't_ a new neighbor. Maybe this was…something entirely different.

For one, it was just a normal, _giant_ husky-looking creature. The only thing odd about it was its size, actually. Other than that, it was a very pretty dog. Silver fur, blue eyes, very simple. There wasn't two tails, or three heads, or an extra eye in any place. So maybe it was just…passing through. "You're very big," Mina murmured, looking up at the hound. It cocked its head, and sniffed her. She giggled when she felt the short exhales of hot, warm breath tickle her skin.

After one long, deep inhale, its eyes snapped open, and glared at her with a snarl. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. And so suddenly had it gone so bad, Mina had no time to try to escape.

Its lips curled, exposing sharp teeth. Mina cowered down, now actually a little scared, and slowly started to turn around.

The wolf wouldn't allow this, and slammed both paws on either side she could have escaped, growling down at her. Mina didn't realize that she had actually been trapped, still trying to turn away. She looked back up at it, realizing it was hovering over her. It was so _big_. She was stunned at its size, knowing now that there was no way for her to get away.

So she didn't scream, because that was a useless waste of breath. And she didn't call for help, because nobody was around at all. Not even Vlad. Mina just took in a deep breath, knowing very well she might die, and closed her eyes.

And the dog bit her, its jaws sinking sharp teeth into nearly the whole side of her body.


	2. Chapter 2

Teenagers.

The one thing he hated. The one thing that he _despised_ more than his current occupation was… _teenagers_. He couldn't even remember his own teenage years but he knew that they were terrible none the less. 'Now Igor, just enjoy yourself! These are the best years of your life!' many adults he looked up to back then had told him. But no matter how hard he tried, the years were just too horrible.

And not to mention that human teenagers were worse when it came to attitude. They were snippy, snotty divas who all think that they know _everything_. He wouldn't be surprised if MTV aired a show about how bad these next few generations have gotten, and they'd probably use Mina's school as an example! Teenage Pregnancies, relationship drama, girls fighting over everything.

It was almost _retarded_.

The one thing that got him the most was how they all use Facebook as a way of confronting one another. The school doesn't have any problems physically with these children, because all of them would rather rip on each other over status updates than actually confront someone. No one even sees the school's social workers anymore.

Saddest thing was, it was all on the news. It's gotten so bad that it's on the _news_. And people are still joining the site! Thank god the Count will never buy a computer. 'TV's are the only electronic device needed here,' the vampire would claim, no matter how much Igor had asked and begged for an Xbox. TV wasn't the only thing that entertained people anymore. That part of this century is over. Now they've moved on to video games, and smart phones.

But… it wasn't all that bad. He still had those radio headphones, which he was currently wearing as he swept the floor. There was a cold dinner wrapped in the fridge ready for his Master's return. And after it was finished, Igor had nothing better to do than to clean the area the soup was spilled. Then he fed the cats, dusted the furniture, vacuumed the dining room, rearranged the furniture, cleaned the rugs, watered the dead roses, put the furniture back where it was to start with, and watch TV.

All the movie channels had silly chick flicks Igor wasn't eager to see, so he decided to sweep the floors again… for the fifth time in a row. He pushed the remaining dust to the bigger pile in the foyer. Grabbing the dust pan the hunchback bent over to gather it all up when suddenly, the million pound door fell on him.

Igor had no air in his lungs in order to groan painfully. He heard footsteps above him walk on the door and into the house. It was his master.

The top of his master's head appeared in his sight while Vlad bent over, looking at the hunchback trapped under it. Igor blinked slowly and an annoyed look crossed his master's features. He could just imagine the vampire putting his hands on his hips about now if he could see everything properly.

"Igor, what are you doing?"

"Sweeping the floor…" the hunchback said from underneath the door, his voice muffled. Though he was sure his back was broken in about six places, the hunchback was more or less worried about the headphones which were now crooked on his head.

"Clean up this mess while you're at it," the Count ordered while straightening his posture and walking away. Igor lay there pitifully for a moment before attempting to hoist the door off himself. After several moments and no avail, Igor had decided to wait for Vlad to come back, as he would no doubt do to ask where his dinner was. As if on cue, the Vampire's feet were in front of the door again, and Igor could suddenly breathe again as the door was lifted off of him.

"Igor… where is my dinner?"

"I wrapped it up in the fridge, Master. I can go heat it up now, if you'd like," Igor offered, showing his thanks for getting the door off of him by being the best servant he could at the moment. He told Vlad to wait for him in the dining room and appeared there several minutes later with a heated up bowl of Chicken Blood Soup and a huge slice of raw beef. Vlad hardly thanked him as he began eating. The vampire had taken several slurps of the soup before noticing that Igor still stood in front of him, fiddling his thumbs like a child too shy to ask a question.

"Eh… something wrong, Igor?"

"No, not at all master!" Igor said enthusiastically, throwing the Count off a bit.

"Then vhy are you still here?"

"Oh… eh… well I wanted to ask _you_ if everything was okay. What was that meeting about?"

Igor bit his lip after he asked. He knew he shouldn't show interest in the Count's affairs but he was truly interested in what was going on. He flinched a little when Vlad set his spoon down and picked up a napkin to dab at the remaining blood that didn't make it into his mouth, looking at Igor with a more than irritated expression.

"There is something out there Igor, and it's putting not only us, but the humans in danger as well with its presence here. The counsel has ruled that all ghouls that are able go search for the creature each night until it is found."

Igor shuddered. It was _that_ bad? Whatever was out there was causing even the counsel to be wary, this couldn't be good at all.

"What about Mina?" Igor dared to ask, looking at Vlad again. However, Vlad's expression didn't get any more annoyed than it was. It actually softened even, like he was having a harder time with this situation like everyone else.

"Mina won't be able to come over for a while Igor. If she does, be polite and escort her home."

 _Now_ Igor was worried.

What on earth was out there that had everyone so freaked out?

* * *

"No, Stacy, I'm not kidding! He just threw me out! Didn't even give it a second thought…" Lucy said sadly into her phone. While one hand held the house phone to her ear, the other hugged her knees close to her chest. Her old high school girlfriend sighed from the other end, then screamed something at the dog before returning to the phone, "Sorry, Lucy, the damn dog tried licking pudding off the baby again… and I'm _so_ sorry to hear about that…"

"It's awful! I'm wearing waterproof Mascara , yet I've completely cried it off!" the blonde whined.

"So what are you going to do now? You've been gone for quite some time… and you and Bobby lasted nearly five years… I don't know what I'd do if Eddy just up and left me with the baby. I mean sure, I love Charlie, but I can't take care of her on my own! I need his help… and I'm worried about you."

Stacy's preaching nearly put Lucy to sleep. She shook her head after realizing that her friend hadn't said anymore than that, and struggled for an answer. She didn't know what she was going to do now other than to just try to get over it. Keyword: Try. Lucy tried a lot of things but Mina was right, no matter how stubborn the older sibling was to admit it. Mina told her it was a stupid idea. Her life felt practically ruined by this point, there really wasn't anything left to try other than to…

"Lucy?"

"Yeah?" she called to her father through the closed door, glancing at the clock. It was two-thirty in the morning.

"Have you seen Mina yet?"

"No, daddy," Lucy said quietly, remembering that her younger sister had disappeared quite some time ago.

Her father stood on the other side of the door, looking more worn than before. His eyes were now bloodshot and he looked as if he was having trouble seeing. Lucy grimaced at the sight, realizing that she had made him look this way a few hours ago. However, he looked even worse now while trying to stay up and make sure Mina got home. She really owed him one, and he really needed sleep. Thinking it over, Lucy quickly told Stacy to hold on as she set the phone down, and uncurled from her position on her old bed.

"You should get some sleep, dad. I'll go down stairs and wait for Mina in a minute. If she's not home by three, I'll go looking for her."

"Thanks, Lucy," her father yawned, obviously too tired to even thank her properly, and continued to walk down the hall to his room. Lucy swore she saw him walk away with his eyes closed and immediately felt worse.

Lucy was pulled from her thoughts hearing her name repeatedly called from the phone she had set down. She picked it back up again, announcing she was back only to be interrupted by Stacy.

"Sorry, Luce, but I have to go. The baby is starting to fall asleep again as much as I love you, I think I love sleep more, so I'm getting off here."

"Fine, bye Stacy."

And the conversation was over.

Lucy leaned back in her bed and stared at the ceiling. Thinking a little harder on it she did come to realize that she was a little more than a brat. Okay, a _lot_ more. Wow. Mina really was right. Lucy was crazy. She scowled up at the ceiling, realizing now with her predicament in one hand and her personality problems in the other, she had a lot to fix if she ever wanted her life to get better than it was. Not that it was bad, but feeling this down on yourself isn't the best thing to do, and being stressed out isn't the best thing for her body.

The clock now stated that it was two forty-five, telling Lucy that it was about time she started heading downstairs to wait for Mina. She stuck her head into the hallway, getting the feeling she should make sure everything is fine before completely stepping out of her room. She had only taken one step into the hallway before she heard something coming from Mina's room. It sounded odd, like claws scraping wood. Lucy gulped, staring at the door to Mina's room that had been left ajar. She knew fully well that in scary movies, going to check out that noise was the last thing she should do. Finally the scratching stopped, and after a pause, the sound of the window sliding open filled the hallway. Lucy almost retreated back into her room before she heard the small, feminine 'oof' of her younger sister as she fell in through the window and probably landed face first.

Rolling her eyes, Lucy charged to her sister's room and pushed the door open further while grumbling, "Wow, Mina, you seriously had me thinking some creepy monster was trying… to break… in…" Lucy had flipped the switch to her light and trailed off in her sentence, staring at the mess of her sister in her room.

Mina was just starting to stand from her crumpled position on the floor, her jacket and backpack thrown to the site like they had been tossed in first. Lucy paled while looking her over though, her eyes scanning the ripped half of her shirt that now looked as if it hung in strips. Blood stained the edges that had been ripped but Mina's skin was perfectly fine, smooth with not even a scratch to indicate where the blood had come from. Her hair was matted with twigs and leaves, and when Lucy finally looked at her face, her eyes were completely glazed over. Staring back at her was hardly her sister.

Lucy backed up a step each time Mina took one forward, slowly leaving her room while Mina flexed her hands. Her little sister's lip twitched in a scowl that showed teeth while Mina's slow breathing sounded like growling. When Lucy's back hit the wall she began heading to her left, slowly back towards her room. Her eyes never left Mina, who seemed to not notice her sister's presence any longer and instead just headed straight into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Lucy blinked a few times, staring at the bathroom door a few moments. Just as she decided to turn around and go tell their father that Mina was home, she stopped dead in her tracks when Mina started screaming.

* * *

All she remembered was coming home. That was it. From the minute she left Vlad's house to the second she slammed the bathroom door behind her, Mina couldn't remember a single thing form the night prior. But the sight of herself in the mirror wasn't what made her scream.

It was the blood she found in her underwear.

Why was she bleeding there? What could this possibly mean? How long had this been going on? And most of all, was she dieing?

Lucy had practically knocked the door down to come to her sister's rescue only to find Mina sitting on the toilet, legs closed, and holding up her blood stained underwear. And then she started laughing so hard she actually fell.

It was now the next morning. Her father was sitting across from her trying to pay more attention to his morning paper than the conversation going on in front of him. At first he had been involved a little, trying to get information out of Mina like, why was she so filthy coming home, and why had she come home so late? Mina honestly had no cover story to make up for last night and settled for the truth: she didn't remember. After arguing about it her father finally decided that she was telling the truth, only now she was grounded for the weekend and was to stay in her room at all times. Some Friday this turned out to be.

Lucy was now beside her, trying to calmly explain what had happened to her underwear.

"You just had your first period, that's all."

"How come nobody told me about this?!" Mina wailed, dropping the spoon in her cereal and burying her face in her hands. Lucy laughed, again, for the hundredth time, but it was light hearted and wasn't at her sister's expense for once. Mina pulled her fingers a part slightly to look through the gap suspiciously at her older sister who was trying very hard to be nice.

"Well I moved out, and technically, it's dad's job to tell you about these things."

" _Dad!_ "

"I'm out of this conversation," their father said immediately, rolling up his news paper and grabbing his mug of coffee, "I'm leaving for work early because I… have a lot to do. Lucy, calm your sister down."

And he was gone. Considering the situation, Mina had completely understood his out of character behavior. But why was she never _told about this_?!

"Why now?"

"Because it happens to everyone around now," Lucy replied nonchalantly, "Some sooner, some later. Oh, and the best part: It happens once a month."

Mina groaned again.

Lucy didn't stop though, "Be lucky you didn't have any headaches or cramps though. You'll start having them for a week or so before you even start-"

"Enough. I get it. I'm doomed."

A horn honking outside had Mina's head shooting out of her hands and looking around wildly before settling her gaze outside the window. The school bus sat there with the doors hanging open, and the honk warned Mina that if she wasn't outside in the next thirty seconds, those doors would close and she would miss her ride to school.

Lucy watched bewildered as Mina, in record time, ran to the kitchen to throw her dishes into the dishwasher, ran upstairs for her backpack, stopped halfway out the door and came back to the dining room to grab her forgotten mp3 player on the table, and sprinted out to the bus. And she made it. Mina jogged up the steps of the bus and ignored the impatient look the driver gave her as she took the closest empty seat to her, and put her earphones in place. She settled for a song rarely played on her small device but one that she loved nonetheless, and leaned back waiting for the school to come into view.

The thing about high school Mina has yet to understand is why everyone acted so stupid in the halls before class. In elementary and middle school, everything was organized throughout the day, giving them little time for what drama existed and keeping all the kids in line. In High school, however, students had several chances throughout the day to act stupid and rampage in the halls, for girls to fight over pants in the bathrooms, and for everyone to watch and laugh at the nerds being picked on. Like Martha.

Mina noticed that there was a rather large crowd around her locker today. She eyed it with little patience and decided the best way through was to literally shove everyone out of the way. Using her large backpack as a battering ram, she made it through just in time to end up in the middle where everyone's attention was at. Mina growled, taking a few steps towards the figure holding Martha hostage against the lockers while he traumatized her, and dropped her heavy book bag on his foot.

Immediately Martha's bully retreated, hopping on one leg while he nursed the other and cursing her loudly. Eventually he stopped and glared at her with a scowl that bared all of his teeth.

" _Mina_ ," he said her name with such malice, looking like he was about to strangle her.

"Nick," Mina shrugged, picking at her nails as if the action were more interesting than conversing with the bully. Nick glared at her past the red strands falling in his face, regaining his composure and standing straight while slicking his hair back with one hand and smiling at her. Mina looked at him with a bored expression, wondering what on earth he thought he had up his sleeve this time.

"You know you have a locker for a reason, Mina," he said, picking up her dropped backpack, "So you don't have to carry all your books around all day. Oh, and by the way, I think you dropped this!"

On the last word Nick had actually _thrown_ Mina's backpack at her, hitting her square in the stomach and knocking her on her backside. The Asian twins took their place on either side of nick, laughing at Mina's expense. The small redhead growled, struggling to sit up with the weight of her own backpack on her chest as the crowd dispersed and began heading to first period.

"Are you okay?"

Mina looked up to see Martha hovering over her, grabbing the straps to her bag and pulling it off of Mina so she could get up easier.

"Thanks," Mina grumbled, dusting herself off and hoisting the heavy bag over her shoulder, "What was he doing to you anyway?"

"Well if you wouldn't have shown up when you did, Nick would have stuffed me in your locker again."

Martha shuddered visibly at the thought and Mina's scowl only deepened. Martha's thin frame could easily fit in any locker with room to spare, but it was her height that made it uncomfortable and hard to get out when someone tried to free her. Mina shook her head and jerked her chin in the direction they needed to be going, "He won't do anything of the sort. Anyway, we need to get going, I don't think I finished my math homework last night."

The rest of the school day went about the same as it normally does so far. Mina was even surprised to find out that she had in fact finished her math homework. The only downside is that even if she finished it last night, now that she had forgotten doing the assignment at all, Mina hardly understood the lesson. And they had a quiz Tuesday. Great.

Deciding it would be best to take her algebra book home for the weekend and try to do the homework a second time to teach herself how to do the lesson, Mina had kept the heavy text book in her bag all day. By the end, she had homework in all of her classes for the weekend.

By the end of the school day, Nick had decided he'd try to pick on Martha and Mina again. Between the time it took to go from her seventh period class to the bus, Mina had successfully gotten back at Nick for this morning and had retreated onto the bus before he could stand back up and wipe as much mud off of himself as he could. Martha followed suit but unfortunately she still rode the same bus as Nick, while Mina rode on a whole different one. Lucky for her, High school meant more students, more students meant more busses, and more busses meant more routes, and Mina's became separate from Nick's. Too bad Martha wasn't so lucky.

Once she walked in through the front door to her home again, Mina noticed a note on the table. Apparently Lucy had somewhere to be, and won't be home before dad would be. Mina didn't mind her sister's absence and continued on up the stairs to her room, digging into the dirty laundry hamper in her closet to look at the clothes last night.

They were still covered in dirt, with leaves and twigs stuck in various places she couldn't remove them from. She was actually planning on just throwing the shirt away, since the pants were still salvageable. However Mina just sat on the bed with the shirt in her hands, staring at the blood stains and rips that took over the whole right side of the shirt. Mina replaced her current shirt with the one from last night and stood in the mirror, looking at where all the rips took place, and noticing that the skin there was perfectly fine.

If it weren't for the barely noticeable stitch-like scars trailing the areas were her flesh was exposed the most.

What on earth happened last night?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Relatively short, but don't worry! Not all well be this length, I just didn't feel it appropriate to make this any longer.

I don't own Mina and The Count!

* * *

Vlad didn't come visit on Friday or Saturday night.

Not that it wasn't unusual for him to skip a night or two on occasion, but on a weekend it was somewhat worrisome. The ancient vampire had made it clear to Mina that if he were to take a night off on their endeavors, it would be during the week. This way she could either study for school or go to bed earlier so she can stay awake for classes the next day.

 _But on a weekend, though?_

Weekends were free game. She and Vlad could go to Timbuktu and back so long as it was on a weekend (which they have done before, but that's a whole different story).

Despite the current MIA status of her best friend, Mina normally wouldn't worry as much as she did _now_ , and she has a few reasons to thank for that.

First: It's obviously abnormal for her… _abnormal_ best friend.

Second: She has no idea what had happened at the council meeting The Count had to leave her to attend last she saw him.

Third, and most important: Mina had been chained to her bed since Friday night, and therefor couldn't go visit her friend herself to see what was up.

 _Okay, well maybe not_ literally _chained to the bed…_

However it's more than likely that Lucy _had_ physically chained the door to her room closed and glued the window shut. Even if she didn't do these things Mina was sure she wouldn't be able to get out of bed anyway. She was currently physically unable due to the terrible cold she had randomly come down with. Needless to say, she was very frustrated. No one would know that just by looking at her, though. If Lucy's statement were correct, she looked expressionless or dead regardless of how many times Mina tried to convey her emotions wordlessly.

Talking was much worse.

She sounded hoarse and dry. Her throat felt like it was on fire and simply breathing was painful. It felt like pins and needles were poking her everywhere but nothing, not even her throat hurt as much as her pounding head did.

 _At least that's how it had felt on Friday…_

Being the slight drama queen she is, Mina would readily tell anyone that it still felt the same tonight as it did on Friday, but all the pain had gradually subsided over the past two days to a dull ache. Mina still couldn't simply get up and walk anywhere, nor did she dare to, but it was a bit more manageable.

 _But laying around like this is so_ boring _!_

Lucy had spent the whole weekend doing what she could for her sister, helping her sibling survive off of ice water and various soups that would hopefully soothe her throat. She changed the cold rag on Mina's forehead every few hours and propped her pillows on occasion. Sometimes their father would sub in when Lucy was unavailable, staying a bit longer than the blonde to keep his second daughter company. Mina appreciated both their efforts, but was more grateful that the illness had kept her asleep through most of it. By Sunday she was starting to feel too restless to simply go back to sleep, and now that she could sit up on her own she was becoming incredibly bored.

Until she remembered Vlad's disappearance, in which boredom transformed into heart wrenching anticipation and worry.

Would he come by tonight?

Will there be any news on the council?

Many more questions began forming in her mind one after the other. What on earth was going on?

"Hey."

Lucy's blonde head peaked into the doorway, fresh pitcher of ice water also peering in just below her. It took a moment for Mina to understand her sister was holding it, but she kept that to herself and responded with a hoarse "Hi…"

"How are you feeling?"

 _You're really going to ask me that?_

Mina didn't respond, doing what she could to give Lucy her best dead-panned expression. It probably looked just dead, though.

Lucy coughed awkwardly and stepped in the rest of the way. She crossed the distance between herself and her sister to reach the nightstand next to Mina's bed. The redhead watched as her older sibling refilled the glass already occupying her nightstand. For a moment it was just the sound of water filling the glass and ice clinking against it between them.

"I'm going to take your temperature again," Lucy broke the silence. Mina didn't even notice that she was holding the thermometer in the first place until it was already stuck in her mouth.

Another awkwardly silent moment ticked by. It was during this time Mina tried to think of the last time Lucy had been so nice to her. This past weekend almost seemed like the blonde were trying to redeem herself for the 14 years of hell she had put Mina through… As if there were any chance of redeeming _that_. Regardless, the adolescent was thankful for the help and so Lucy's presence was welcome… _for now_.

 _BeepBeep!_

Lucy removed the small device and inspected the numbers on its small screen.

"It's going down at least," she half smiled. Mina didn't intend to respond, but Lucy's expectant gaze earned a half-hearted groan. Satisfied with that answer, Lucy left the room, leaving the pitcher of ice water next to the glass.

And she was left alone to her devices once more.

Mina rolled over to lay on her right side, facing away from the door as if doing so would be facing away from all previous thoughts as well. Said thoughts were persistent, however, and it seemed that no matter which way Mina faced in her bed she could not turn her back on them. So after much fussing, Mina settled on her right side again and stared at the wall several feet before her. Slightly to the left, almost adjacent to the foot of her bed stood the tall mirror she used every day to check her appearance. Although looking at it now she wasn't exactly thinking about all the times she's stood in it to make sure she looked okay. Staring at the mirror at night with the lights off or the small warm glow of her nightstand lamp filled her with unease. It was different, looking at the world on the other side of the mirror rather than at herself before going to school or to Vlad's or just… _anywhere_ really. So in response to the uncomfortable feeling creeping up on her she shifted her gaze further down the room, to the window several feet across from the foot of her bed.

It's probably safe to assume that he won't be visiting tonight…

Mina let out a disappointed sigh, snuggling into her blanket for comfort as a newfound drowsiness settled over her. She closed her eyes and relaxed, waiting for sleep to take over.

 _…Thump!_

She opened one eye, staring straight ahead from the shock of the unexpected sound.

 _"Vhat the hell?"_ said a muffled voice just outside her window.

A voice she knew all too well.

Mina sat up, ignoring the protest of her body screaming at her to just lie down and sleep.

"Vlad?" she whispered hoarsely. Currently in her window was the dark silhouette of the vampire in question, still attempting to open the window from the outside. Mina sat quietly for a moment or two listening to the strained groans he was making. It didn't take him very long to give up.

It hurt to giggle when his shoulders slumped in defeat, looking at her from outside like a cat that wanted in.

 _I swear if he starts pawing at the window…_

Mina shoved the thought to the back of her mind and pointed down at the vent on her wall. Vlad's glowing eyes followed her finger, and looked back up at her after registering her meaning.

He did not look happy.

"Come open the vindow!" he growled harshly. Mina's expression didn't change, instead raising a brow and attempted to point at the vent _harder_.

"Mina you _know_ I hate coming through the vent, it's filthy."

She didn't budge.

Vlad turned away with a sigh, looking half defeated. He leaned forward as if to jump off her roof, and then swiftly slumped back face first into the window, eyes glowing a shade of red.

"You vill come open the window" he said rhythmetically, his fingers dancing as if he were playing an instrument.

Mina's expression grew slightly annoyed, her arm falling back down to her side and shoulders rolling up as if to say ' _Try to hypnotize me an I'll shove a stake in your foot.'_

At least he tried.

Vlad let out a frustrated grunt and faded into a cloud of mist. The sight still awed Mina as she watched the clearly aggravated cloud float away from her window. To this day she still found the different forms The Count could take fascinating. Minutes later said cloud came in through the air vent, solidifying into a vampire once completely through.

Mina expected a lot of things to happen the first time Vlad had come to visit her after his disappearance. She figured he'd first start by showing his obvious frustration at being unable to use the window, or how he'd go straight into the details of the council and what happened, maybe even ask her how she'd been doing to make sure she took his absence okay. It was _not_ expected that he'd immediately cover his nose dry heave as if he just smelled something horrid.

"Ugh! _Vhat_ on _earth_?"

He probably would pick up on the fact that she hadn't showered since she became ill, that and the stench of sick human isn't one of his favorites. Mina sighed, slightly embarrassed at the state she put her friend in and tried to not outwardly show it—not that it wasn't hard to hide or anything. She mumbled an apology from under her blanket, avoiding his gaze when he looked at her incredulously.

Vlad didn't need much explanation at all to understand that this hasn't been a good weekend for his dearest friend. He suddenly felt guilty for his surprised outburst and hardened his expression, lowering his hands from his face and trying to hide his disgust.

Nope, definitely didn't like the smell of sick human.

"What have you been-"

"What happened with-"

They both started and stopped at the same time, unsure of who should go first. Vlad gestured for Mina to continue, deciding he could wait.

"What happened with the council?" Mina finished. Vlad visibly winced at how raspy she sounded. The girl waited patiently for the vampire's response; obviously it wasn't exactly an easy question to answer. The Count rolled his claw-like hands uneasily while fishing for the best wording. After what felt like the better half of an hour he sighed with defeat, unable to find an efficient answer.

"There's… _something_ …"

Silence, the ancient creature's mouth still open while searching for words.

Mina started to grow impatient.

" _Something_ …" she deadpanned, finding it hard to simply wait for a response. Vlad's expression quickly became one of slight frustration, mostly at himself for being unable to quickly answer her question. If anything he could thank Mina at least, for her impatience was somewhat like a mental slap in the face. Suddenly back on track, the vampire cleared his throat and continued to answer.

"Yes. _Something_. The werewolves residing in the swamp started acting out, so in order to keep them and the others safe they locked them up. One of the resident sorceresses is convinced that a new presence in the region has them on high alert, so while they're locked away she wants us to start searching the area at night."

Well…she certainly wasn't expecting _that_.

"Wait, what about _me_? They think I'm a werewolf too, don't they?"

"Someone brought that up later on in the meeting," he wasn't about to let her know it was _Mummy_ of all monsters, "The council came to the conclusion that the humans would notice your disappearance, so they are willing to allow you to stay free so long as you don't show signs of aggression.

"One more thing," he cut Mina off before she could say anything else, "I have to join the searches."

She blinked once…twice…before fully registering what he meant by that.

"So we can't hang out for a little while, can we?"

"Not as often at least," he responded, "But I will still come by when I can."

Despite her earlier inability to show emotion her disappointment twisted her features in a deep frown. Holding back the urge to sigh dramatically, the redhead nodded.

"But enough on that," Vlad dismissed, his gaze softening while considering his friend, "You've been ill."

She nodded.

"How long?"

"Since Friday night," she answered. All this talking was straining her throat. The soreness had never quite left but it was becoming more noticeable now. Mina reached for the glass on her nightstand to take a sip, as if the refreshing cool water could soothe the burn of her throat. The count watched her carefully.

Something was off.

"How are you feeling now?"

Mina gave the answer some though, eventually settling on "Like crap."

Vlad considered her for maybe three breaths before giving her a small smile.

"Well," he started, "you should probably rest up then," he held up a hand to cut off Mina's response. Her protests faded into a small ' _hmph_ '. "It is getting late, and if I'm late for tonight's search Mona is going to force-feed me garlic."

What?

"Who's Mona?"

"Nobody-"

"And you can't leave just yet," the sickly girl cut him off, "You just got here! I haven't seen you in days, and you've hardly explained anything," she pouted. Mina sat up, suddenly ready to pounce out of bed to cling to Vlad's feet in order to keep him stationary. Yes, she still did that on occasion; it was the most effective way to keep the shape-shifting bloodsucker in place for interrogations. She may have been bedridden for the past three days but Mina was not about to let her reunion be cut so short.

"Mina, I do _not_ have time for this. You don't understand this predicament-"

"And _you_ don't understand mine!" she furiously spat, shoving the embarrassing thought of her first visit from _Aunt Flo_ to the back of her mind

 _That's_ not _what I mean right now…_

"Listen, I'm _sorry_ , but I do have to go," his accent thickened as it usually did when he became frustrated, "I promise we will talk more tomorrow. It's almost midnight. If you end up going to school tomorrow you're going to have a rough day."

 _Groaaan._

Mina held her breath for a moment or two before sighing in defeat, knowing that he was right. Who knew vampires were so responsible? She'd ask for a hug but the girl was all too aware of how much the stench was getting to him. Instead she flopped back into the pillows on her bed and huffed as the Count stood to leave. Vlad rolled his eyes, only turning halfway around before he paused and said, "Oh, and one more thing."

"Hm?"

"Why is your window stuck?"

Oh..right…

Come to think of it, Mina hadn't even told Vlad that Lucy was back yet. Although that is a whole different conversation, and the girl was not sure she wanted to dive into it just yet. Suddenly weighted down with more fatigue than a woman babysitting eight toddlers, she settled for a half-truth: "It was glued shut to keep me from sneaking out while I'm sick."

The look on his face was priceless; somewhere between 'why would your father do that?' and 'it's definitely time for bed!'. Clearly unsure of whether or not he should ask, the Count decided that it may be a topic for another day.

"Good night, Mina," he said tiredly before fading into mist to leave the same way he came in.

Mina doubted that he could hear her at this point, but she responded anyway with a fatigued "Goodnight, Vlad."

And then she yawned.

And it really hurt.

The girl winced until the pain subsided, attempting to get comfortable once more. Vlad's reasoning echoed again in her mind as she was beginning to drift to sleep.

 _Heh…_

 _At this rate, I highly doubt I'll go to school tomorrow…_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hello again! I had actually written this out some time ago but did not have time to revise it until recently. I apologize for the wait. Please read and I hope you enjoy!

 **I do not own MaTC.**

* * *

Mina stood at the entrance to the High School and groaned audibly.

 _And here I was, thinking I'd have the day off…_

Martha appeared to her left, leaning forward to take in her friend's dismayed expression. Though still weak, the redhead woke up well enough to attend classes. She tried to sound sickly this morning, but Lucy would not buy it. _'If you're well enough to try and convince me, you're well enough to go'_ her sister said, but couldn't sound very stern through the intense relief radiating off of her in waves. Mina grumbled, pushing the thought away.

 _Since when does she care?_

The brunette on her left shrugged and continued forward, walking her bike she used to come to school. Mina had already inquired why Martha would ride her bike to school considering the Bus was by far the most convenient method of transportation. Her friend did not seem bothered by the inconvenience of how far she lived from her destination, and preferred to ride her bike rather than spend the better part of her morning trapped on a bus with Nick. That was all Mina needed to be satisfied; she'd rather walk to school barefoot in the snow than be stuck in a vehicle with the bully any day.

Speaking of the intense pain-in-the-rear…

"Hello _ladies_ ," he sneered, already waiting by the bike rack where Martha had intended to leave her contraption. Nick currently leaned against the only open spot left, arms crossed over his chest as if to portray that he'd been waiting for quite some time.

 _He's wearing a hoodie…_

Why was that so weird?

Actually…Martha had a jacket on, too.

So did the group standing by the door, and the herd of students walking by.

Everyone had some form of warm clothing on; Hoodies, coats, jackets, sweaters. She suddenly felt very awkward in the red short-sleeve shirt and her favorite maroon skirt she sported. But that was it—awkward—was the only feeing she felt right now. Not cold, or chilly, or even the slightest bit cool. In fact she felt rather warmed by the air around her, if not from the embarrassment boiling underneath her skin and causing the pale surface to become a light shade of pink.

She was suddenly snapped—or _shoved_ —back into reality from her moment of realization. If she didn't have three textbooks in her backpack she probably would have regained her balance. However this was not the case, and so Mina landed on her rear, skidding backwards a small distance before stopping to stare back up at an extremely irritated Nick.

Martha was too stunned by the movement to react.

"Don't _ignore_ me!" Nick spat, towering over her.

The ground that morning was rather slippery, she noted, struggling to stand back up to her feet. Mina abandoned her heavy book bag on the ground, regaining balance quickly without it.

"What is your _problem_?!" she yelled, dusting the dirt off of her skirt.

" _This_ ," Nick was quick to retort while holding up a sheet of paper, "I found _this_ on my locker this morning after _everyone else_ noticed it."

 _Wow, he is actually kinda mad_ , Mina thought before taking a moment to regard the paper he held up.

 _Oh my god…_

The girl let out the most un-lady-like of snorts when she tried to stifle her laughter. Martha's face was also contorted in hidden mirth, the brunette's fair features reddened as she held her breath. Nick's face reddened as well but for a different reason entirely.

It was a picture from when they were in elementary school. More specifically from the day that Mina had brought a dead frog to life. On top of the whole vampire fiasco, it was one of the key moments of their history that formulated Nick's need to make fun of her. Never mind the fact that her father still gives her grief now and then about 'raising the dead.'

"How did someone get a picture of _that_?" Mina choked, still trying and failing to breathe normally and _not_ laugh. Martha still hadn't said anything, glancing to the side and away from the situation at hand but also unable to hide the grin she wore.

The picture presented a seven-year-old Nick sitting stock-still while the zombie frog had its tongue wrapped tightly around his head. But the image wasn't this hilarious by itself.

' _Nick's first kiss_ ,' with hearts pasted around the image completed the picture as a whole.

 _This is too good!_

"I _know_ it has to be one of you two," he said venomously, "And it doesn't matter who, because you're both going to _pay_."

The flame haired boy left them without any time to respond, grabbing for Mina's backpack before she could defend it. She let out cries of protest as he opened her bag, keeping the smaller girl at bay with just his right elbow as he fished through her things.

"First I'll start with _this_ ," he said, pulling her notebook free from the confines of her bag.

Mina paled.

She was suddenly _very_ cold.

Nick didn't pull out just _any_ notebook. He knew her well enough by now to know that _that_ notebook was sacred. The girl's heart nearly stopped at the thought of what he was about to do to it.

"Oh what's the matter, _Vampire Girl_?" he spat, dropping her bag and stepping well away. He held the notebook above her head and out of her reach, keeping the precious object hostage while he tormented her, "Don't want everyone to see what's inside?"

She almost resorted to begging; almost resorted to killing him-

 _What? Wait…_ killing _?!_

However, of all the things she _almost_ resorted to, Mina couldn't do a thing but watch in horror.

Her entire life was in that notebook.

Mina had kept a record of her and the counts adventures and weird things she'd find. She would even add illustrations for emphasis. A list of some of the monsters in the swamp was also included in some of the entries so that she could keep track (there was so many!). More importantly, her feelings were written in a few pages of that book as well. Boys in school that she'd have faint crushes on… things people did that were nothing but to her meant everything.

And if Nick went through that right now and saw every thing she's written about him, that'd be the end of it. No, she didn't like him…at least not _anymore_. Before he bullied her incessantly after she told everyone about Vlad, Mina may or may not have like him. She wouldn't have called it that back then, since that was in kindergarten and she had no idea what liking a boy meant or even entailed. However it was no doubt to her that she's had, over time, a whole spectrum of thoughts and emotions attached to the boy.

If he knew that, it'd be the end for sure.

"Now," the bully in question resumed, "What should I post around the school first?" he thought aloud while flipping through the notebook. Mina attempted to stop him through word; a threat, a plea, _anything_. However her voice would die in her throat, coming out as a small squeak instead. She could see it now, the endless humiliation and torture he'd put her through at finding out at _some_ point she'd liked him. It wouldn't have been a huge deal if he weren't the way that he is. Given the current circumstances, and that soon the whole school would know once he finds out, she'd rather that no one knew at all.

"Oh this is _perfect_ ," he grinned, gripping a page in hand. She couldn't tell which one it was. As if everything were happening in slow motion, the girl watched in horror and dismay as paper ripped from the first few rings of the notebook.

And then she was suddenly simmering, burning, boiling with _white-hot_ rage.

Everything happened very quickly after that.

Before he knew it, Nick's feet were no longer touching the ground. There was a sharp yelp of surprise before he realized that he couldn't breathe. He kicked in shock before noticing why, staring at Mina with newfound fear. The smaller girl, despite her size and frame, held the boy in question up by his neck. She let out a deep, unrecognizable sound when he looked her in the eyes, which held no indication that she would spare him his life. Her teeth were bared in an ugly snarl that threatened to bite into him and eat his flesh if he wasn't careful.

Needless to say, he was very scared.

Nick gripped at her arms and attempted to pry her fingers away to no avail. Mina held him there for maybe three breaths, panting with rage. The tension in the air was so thick Martha felt she could hardly move. As she sometimes tended to, the taller girl kept quiet and faded into the background of the moment.

 _RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!_

The school bell's ring pierced the air and suddenly Mina lost her strength. Emerald eyes constricted and then dilated before filling with fear. The smaller girl dropped Nick and recoiled as if she noticed he had spiders crawling on him. He landed hard on his rump, choking and sputtering now that he could finally breathe again. His couldn't quite see straight as he tried to regain himself; still registering that the small girl he picked on just physically _lifted_ him _up._ Said girl took this opportunity to snatch her notebook back and stuffed it back into her book bag (not without noting with relief that he almost ripped out a doodle of herself as a vampire). Martha, in record time, had locked her bike into place at the bike rack the second she heard the bell. Both girls began walking side by side towards the school building at a pace that rivaled a marathon runner.

"What was that all about?!" Martha all but shouted, barely able to keep up with Mina's speed.

"I don't know," the Harper girl replied as her face flushed with embarrassment, "And I don't think I want to."

She wanted to kill him.

And not just figuratively speaking.

Mina had actually thought of all the ways she could _actually kill_ _Nick_ , and didn't feel an ounce of regret while planning to do so. Thinking about it again made her head hurt. School hadn't even officially _started_ yet and already she just wanted to go back home and sleep. The redhead sighed, already dreading the idea of bulldozing her way though the next nine hours.

"Hey, Martha," she broke the silence, suddenly remembering why Nick was so cross with them to begin with, "Who do you suppose posted that on his locker, anyway?"

The shy brunette's face flushed a deep crimson, which the girl in question promptly tried to hide with a hand as she adjusted her glasses. It was a good minute before she responded with a reluctant 'I don't know.'

Mina couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face.

Martha was never a good liar.

"A-anyway," she stammered, doing anything to tear Mina's playful glare away from her, "H-hoow was your weekend? Were you able to finish all of our assignments?"

 _Oh no…_

She'd been sick the whole weekend.

Of _course_ she totally forgot about _all_ of her homework.

"Martha," she started, "If I gave you a stake would you just…shove it right into my chest please."

Her friend was very confused.

* * *

After visiting with Mina at the beginning of the night, The Count had left to meet with his 'search party.'

In the beginning, every ghoul and monster living in the swamp had participated in the lookout. As the nights went on, those involved in the search began to decrease in numbers. Mummy was one of the first to go home, not being a huge fan of doing anything someone else told him. Vlad had tried to get him to stay, but becoming friends with Mina had put a strain on their friendship. Mummy made it very clear that he didn't believe the whole werewolf story, and to this day still gives the vampire grief for staying friends with her. So as a result, any attempt by The Count to keep his friend included in the search party was a waste of effort.

The rest of his group had consisted of Frankenstein (Frankie), Mrs. Frankenstein (Misses), and The Creature From The Black Lagoon (Creature). On occasion, the witch would come in to check on them, as she did with most of the other search groups, but she never stayed for long.

Early on the swamp started out with five parties. Over the course of three nights enough monsters had decided against searching and only left about three. Mona was not happy at all about this, but tried to make the best of the situation and work with what she had. The remaining groups were then listed as A, B and C so as not to cause confusion. The Count and his friends had been dubbed group B.

When Vlad had found his search party, however, Mona had already joined them. The Count had changed from his bat form in mid air, landing just a few feet away from the group as a whole so as not to bump into anyone. He normally would have gone out of his way to make an entrance of some sort, as he often did for appearances, but the air around everyone tonight seemed quite grim.

"Vhat is the problem?" he asked right away, skipping the greetings entirely.

"There you are!" Mrs. Frankenstein said, ignoring his question entirely. Her husband's broad shoulders sagged with relief, as did Creature's and Mona's once they all noticed him. Mona looked to be in the worst shape of the four, as she was probably worried about much more than just the vampire.

"Did something happen?" he decided to ask a different question since no one answered the first one.

There was a heavy silence among the group as they all regarded each other carefully. Vlad grit his fangs in anticipation, trying to feign patience as he waited for their answer. Eventually all eyes settled on Mona for an explanation. The orange-haired sorceress sighed heavily before wringing her hands together.

"Group C never returned from their search last night," she started, still fidgeting with her hands, "At the beginning of tonight's search, Group A had found…" she swallowed, a pained expression crossed her features as she searched for words, "…their remains."

Their remains…

"The whole group?" Vlad asked, not fully grasping the gravity of the situation.

"Only half of the group's remains were found. There's no sign of the other, we have no idea if they survived or if they…"

She didn't finish.

Normally gruesome deaths weren't a problem for monsters that resided in the swamps. Mona, however, was clearly human at some point before becoming a witch. Some of her might still be, if her reaction were any indication.

"Vhere?" The Count asked, a shaky breath threatening to deflate his long dead lungs.

"That's the part we don't understand," Mrs. Frankenstein said, giving Mona a break, "They were several miles into the woods outside of the swamp."

"Which means that whatever is here isn't just staying around the swamp," Creature concluded with a worried frown.

"So vhat about group A?" the vampire inquired, hoping this was the last question he'd have to ask tonight.

"Gone," Frankenstein simply said. He wasn't much of a talker.

"After finding the remains of group C they no longer wish to participate," Mona explained, "And I understand if you guys don't either, but…"

She broke down.

Everyone was quiet for a moment while the orange haired sorceress hid behind her hands and bawled. Heart wrenching sobs that were not small or light filled the forest and seemed to bounce off the trees around them. No one was sure which was more shocking: the fact that she was this emotional at all or the drastic difference between her current state and the powerful presence she normally had. It was like watching a beautiful flower wilt and die, petals and leaves crumpling and falling apart.

Vlad was probably the only other monster that could relate since he, too, was human at some point. But he didn't choose his friends just because of their ghoulish nature; even though they've never been human it doesn't mean they wouldn't try to understand. That being said, the other monsters present stayed silent with dismayed expressions. Misses stood awkwardly with her arms half raised, unsure if she should embrace the witch in a sympathetic hug or give her space.

It took some time for Mona to control herself, but even then she wasn't completely together. She wiped her face off with the sleeve of her tunic, sniffling and doing what she could to breathe.

"I understand this was a lot more dangerous than I initially had thought," she said solemnly, "But I still need your help. If you do not wish to search anymore I completely understand. I can't stop looking though, not while Jack is locked up."

Jack? Who on earth is…

' _And I know you all think lowly of the wolves but_ one _of them is a dear friend of mine.'_

Oh…

Mona sniffed once more, shook her head, and regained the powerful impression she wore so well. Her gaze hardened as she took in each of the monsters—but not in the same way it hardened when she looked at anyone else. Not after this group had seen her so vulnerable.

"I can't leave the werewolves hanging," she said and squared her shoulders, "I'd like to know now if you will continue to help." At the end of her speech she softened, adding a small please at the end.

Mona didn't have much of a reputation around the swamp; otherwise Vlad was sure he would have heard of her before. However she had a major point when making her statement the night she spoke in front of the Tribunal: Whatever is out there doesn't only pose a threat to the swamp.

As long as this _thing_ was around, Mina was in danger too.

"Of course I'll help," The count was the first to reply. The others seemed somewhat shocked at his response, let alone how quick he was to make the decision.

"You said so yourself," he regarded Mona, but then turned his attention to everyone else, "Mina is in trouble as well. If finding and putting a stop to it protects her, then I'll be more than happy to."

Bringing up the small girl brought realization to their eyes, and soon Frankenstein, his wife and Creature were all nodding in agreement.

"We'll all still help," Creature spoke.

It was very hard for the violet-eyed witch to contain her relief and excitement. "Very well then," she said, still attempting to maintain her authority, "We should stick together. Group C was mostly imps, but I think we will fare well if we run into trouble considering each of our abilities."

"Agreed," The Count said, "I wouldn't have suggested anything else."

"Where should we start?" Mrs. Frankenstein asked. Creature mulled over the thought.

"Well," the Lagoon monster mused, "The way we've been searching around the swamps, we haven't been able to find any clues. Maybe we should start making perimeters around the woods and see if we can find anything? Vlad has the best nose out of anyone I know, if anything maybe he'll pick up a scent."

Mona nodded in agreement.

"Count, does that mean you'll be scouting ahead?"

"With pleasure," the vampire smiled. Before being asked to, he leaned forward into a leap.

Rather than The Count's normal form, what landed several paces before the group was a large wolf-like creature with blue fur and a black stripe running from nose to tail tip. Silver hairs lined its underbelly and the beginnings of the underside of the tail.

"I didn't know he could do that," Mrs. Frankenstein whispered, to which both her husband and Creature shrugged in response. The Count, in wolf form, looked back at the group before leading ahead, sniffing the ground as he went.

"While he is doing that," Mona said, "I'll trail behind a bit and keep an eye on our backs. If I notice anything following or flanking us, I'll let you know."

And before anyone knew it, an orange cat was left in her wake, allowing the group to get ahead of her before walking behind.

* * *

Her ' _I was sick so I didn't do any homework_ ' sob story only gained so much pity from the staff in High School. By the end of the day, she still got zero points for not having _any_ of the completed assignments. However, most of them (besides her history teacher, of course) hinted at the possibility of at least half credit if she were to turn in the assignment late on the next day.

So by the time Mina was walking towards her bus, she still had roughly 2 tons of reading material and shame stuffed into her backpack to take home. Martha was long gone by the time she had finished getting her things together. In order to completely avoid Nick, her friend had feigned illness and left during last period. Thanks to Mina claiming to have been sick the whole weekend, the seventh hour teacher they shared assumed that the redhead had roughly been the cause.

Which left her alone to fend for herself at the end of the day.

When the final bell rang it was like the floodgates had opened. All the doors along the hallways were simultaneously wrenched back as teenagers eagerly filled the halls. Groups formed clumps off to the sides, still somewhat in the way for those trying to get by. A few of said groups attempted to move as well, but tended to walk much slower than those traveling by themselves. It was all so… _messy_.

This was by _far_ her least favorite part of the day, no matter how happy she was that it was over.

Considering that she was one of the smaller varieties, Mina had a lot of trouble leaving school. It was difficult enough just to navigate her way out of the chaos—let alone doing so undetected by certain individuals. She often found herself pushed and shoved to the outer rims of it all, but when avoiding a _particular someone_ it was a much better idea to stay in the middle of it much to her chagrin.

Currently trapped on all sides by other students, Mina was quite sure she blended in well. On either side of her were two very tall boys, probably unaware of her presence between them due to their height as they conversed. Directly in front of her walked a large group of girls going at a pace that rivaled an aging tortoise, which made the group behind her groan out loud about their speed. It seemed like a secure position, nobody moving quite as aggressively as they had at the start. Now all she had to do was be careful that her backpack didn't knock anyone loose and hope Nick doesn't spot her.

He was definitely waiting for her though. Mina somehow spotted him through a slight gap in the crowd, waiting by the exit he _knew_ she always took. The bully currently scanned the crowd as he leaned against the wall just by the door, knowing full well she'd be coming along soon. Her teeth grit together so hard it _hurt_ , but there was no other way to cope with the tension at the possible meeting. She'd been able to avoid him throughout the day so far; if she couldn't make it out now she was done for. Mina kept her head low, attempting to visibly shrink as much as possible when squeezing out of the school's large doors. After a few steps the redhead dared to take a peak at him through her bangs to see if he'd seen her.

He did.

Upon meeting his, Nick's green irises constricted, effectively shrinking his pupils drastically as he sneered angrily at her hunched form.

She was _so_ dead.

Mina avoided his gaze and began to panic, looking rapidly between the cluster of students around her and the exit.

 _Escape route, escape route, escape route_ …

The mantra did little to help her think a way out of this one. Basically trapped with nowhere to go left her with a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was there really no way out of this one?

Four feet left to go before she crossed the threshold.

His eyes practically burned her skin.

The two guys on either side of her practically squeezed her in place as the entire group tried to fit through the door all at once.

Mina felt like she was going to hyperventilate. The crowd, Nick's waiting fury and the anticipation of getting out of this mess and going home all began to stress her to a point of no return. She had to think of something or else-

"O-oops!"

Someone had made contact with her book-bag, bumping into the large object rather forcefully on accident while trying to maneuver through the crowd. Mina lurched forward, ignoring the apology from the other person as she tried to regain control of her surroundings. She was losing her position in the crowd, one of the taller boys inching in front of her while the other started sliding behind. Through all of this, however, Mina wasn't the slightest bit unnerved by this change. It was more eye opening than it was horrifying due to the impact giving her a sudden idea.

She quickened her pace and did what she could to keep the boy on her right slightly behind her. He tried to keep up with his friend and in turn almost trampled her a couple of times. Nick stopped leaning against the wall, hands at his sides and ready to snatch her out of the crowd. The group in front of her all but stopped as they tried to shimmy through the door all at once.

And with a newfound force Mina swung all of her body weight to the right, hitting the tall stranger like a baseball with the intent of knocking it out of the park. As she had hoped, the random student crashed into Nick like a car without brakes, knocking the two over into a cluster of limbs.

She didn't stick around to marvel at the results of her plan.

Using the same gigantic backpack to knock herself a path out of the group, Mina forced the girls in front of her through the door the rest of the way and finally broke free. Of course there were screams of protest and now everyone was looking at her with the same malice that Nick had. However she would much rather have that than any form of contact with Nick.

 _He's going to be busy for a little bit_ , she thought while taking this chance to run as far away as she could. She wasn't really one for sports but Mina didn't easily run out of breath. After her daring escape, she made it home in a matter of minutes thanks to her ability to sprint long distances without much complaint. If it weren't for her midnight adventures through the swamp she surely wouldn't have been able to pull that off.

Lucy didn't verbally question the fact that her younger sibling was panting heavily once she returned. Mina ignored the odd look she received from the blonde woman. They exchanged a short hello followed by Lucy's prediction of dinner in about an hour. Homework awaited the younger girl and so she went straight to her room to try and catch up on all of her schoolwork. Everything after that was relatively uneventful.

Her older sister had made Spaghetti for dinner with a side of garlic cheese bread. The meal had come and gone right in the middle of Mina's progress. On her way back upstairs her sister had passed her a box of 'girl stuff' without much notice from their father, who quietly read the sports section of the paper after eating. The redhead thanked her silently and returned to her work.

The last subject she touched was Math. Mina started with current assignments and worked her way backwards, only skipping problems she'd need to redo after reviewing previous lessons. It didn't take her very long, and before she knew it she found herself staring down at the chapter she had long forgotten about.

It then reoccurred to her that she had finished the assignment for this chapter without realizing it. Or…did she realize it but then forget it entirely?

When did all of this happen again?

… _Friday night…_

Mina's eyes started to widen in realization. What was the last thing she remembered that evening? The fourteen-year-old abandoned her math homework and began searching her book bag. She pulled out her note book/diary and flipped it open to the most recent page.

The last record she made had come from Friday night. It was less of an entry and more of a note to ask Vlad what had happened at the Council meeting. She hasn't added any new information considering she didn't spend any time with her best friend since. She remembered _writing_ this. Mina frowned at the contents of her notebook for a moment before sighing and staring at the mostly blank page before her. It was quite bothersome that she didn't quite remember at what point of the night she wrote it. In face she hardly knew the last thing she remembered.

She left Vlad's castle because he had to go to that meeting. That was obvious, since it still bothered her over the weekend. Never mind the clear evidence before her now.

Where did she go afterwards, though?

 _Think…_

 _Think…_

 _Think…_

Mina groaned out loud and flopped backwards onto her bed. Her head hurt now from trying so hard to remember. It felt like the information was there, just barely out of reach. What was it that she was missing?

 _The shirt…_

She shifted her gaze to the closet. It had to still be there…

She was in luck; it was still exactly where Mina had left it, completely forgotten and out of the way. The girl had intended to toss the shirt but never got around to doing so. It was now a good piece of evidence; tossing it was no longer an option.

Mina held the red clothing in her hands as if it were an ancient piece of paper that threatened to fall apart at the slightest touch. For a moment she was distracted by the holes on the right shoulder, mesmerized by the pattern. She shook her head and tried to focus. What else is on the shirt?

Is that dirt?

So she was outside at least. Good to have _something_ confirmed. It wasn't enough, though. What else could she find out about it?

Wait…

Why was she...?

Mina stopped partway through her investigation and realized that her face was buried inthe shirt. She paused while inhaling the scent, staring at the far wall of her closet while trying to think. On the one hand it was very odd for Mina to be sniffing her clothes for any clues. On the other hand she felt like she could figure something out by doing this. Eventually it was decided to wonder about this action later, and so Mina resumed inhaling the scent of the ruined fabric.

The lingering smell of something… _familiar_ ticked her nose.

Trees…bushes…grass…

 _The park_.

She was at the park.

There was suddenly a sharp pain at her temples, coming in waves that made her drop the shirt and hold her head in agony. Mina dug her nails into her skin, falling backwards onto the floor and cringing. She wanted to scream but the sudden discomfort had completely shocked her. And then…it was gone.

Just as quickly as it appeared, the pain had subsided. Mina still didn't move an inch after it disappeared, breathing deeply for a moment. It may be in her best interest to call it a night, she decided.

Mina made a brief entry into her notebook about the short investigation. With much less enthusiasm than before, she resumed her math homework and finished before bed. She toyed with the idea of continuing to solve the mystery of her ripped shirt, though she quickly became discouraged. Simply looking at the evidence threatened to make the pain return. A few more tries at recalling any forgotten events also warned her that the headache was far from over.

She wasn't expecting Vlad to stop by this evening. Regardless, she had to be up early tomorrow morning and sleep might help her headache if she got enough of it. Mina reluctantly got ready for bed, remembering again what it was like to sniff her shirt for clues.

Since when had that been a thing? She shuddered at the thought of the pain accompanying the action every time she did so.

Mina didn't get very much sleep that night.


End file.
